Let the 75th Hunger Games Begin
by HearMeRwoar
Summary: When Rory, Gale's younger brother, goes out into the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss must mentor him and pray that he succeeds, or else Gale and Katniss's friendship could come to an end.    no Quarter Quell concept, no second rule change
1. The Reaping

It's the day of the reaping. The most terrifying day of all the people of District 12. It used to be the most terrifying day for me. That was when my name was still in the reaping ball. Not anymore. My name's already been taken out, disposed of. I've been through hell. The worst hell you can imagine. And not just because I couldn't trust anyone. Not because I had to watch my back just in case someone was about to stick a dagger through it. No, those were all scary. The really _painful _and _horrific _factor was that I was supposed to kill someone I forever owed, and essentially loved. Emphasis on the ed. I'm not so sure about him anymore. Too bad I'll have to be working with him for the next month or two.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am 17 years old. I live in the Victor's Village of District 12 in Panem. I won the Hunger Games, an annual fight to the death on live TV. It was not fun. Not fun _at all. _

But it's a year later from that, and now a new horror begins. I still have to watch my people fight to the death. The thing is, is that if they do die, it's my fault, because I'm in charge of keeping them alive. They die, I fail. That's how it works. And I hate it. At least I won't be alone.

I walk out the door to the porch, my shaking hands clutching my overcoat and hugging it tighter around me. The freezing wind blows across my face, sprinkling snow in my hair. My thirteen year old sister, Prim, follows me. She holds the hand of my mother, who is too holding her jacket for dear life, hoping that it won't be snatched by the fierce wind. Why did the reaping have to be on a day of a blizzard? Just tell me that… why? If you can tell me that, then I've got some other questions to ask you, too, but I'm sure you don't have the time.

I see Peeta dragging Haymitch along from his porch. I muffle a laugh as I walk over to him and ask if he needs any help. He just scowls at me. "I think I can handle him by myself, thank you very much." The rudeness in his tone startles me. It's not the Peeta I know; the Peeta that would hold me at night when I had nightmares. This was a Peeta who hadn't slept all night and now had to carry this old lump of drunkenness all the way to the square. After all the things he's done.

"No, I don't think you can. Let me take him. Trust me, you look like you need a break." He opens his mouth to say something but closes and lets go of Haymitch's arm. I pick the limp limb up off the ground and begin to haul it through the storm. I can see my mother and Prim's faint figure in the distance, holding onto each other to protect themselves against the cold. Peeta's soldiers are hunched over as well. This isn't going to work. I can't make Peeta help me, but then again I can't do this by myself.

I drop Haymitch to the ground and lean down until my face is almost touching his filthy face. Suddenly, I clap my hands together. I can barely hear the sound against the whir of the wind. He doesn't even flinch. I roll my eyes irritably and slap him. That wakes him up, but not for long. I help him to his feet and slap him again. His expression is growing angry now, and his mouth opens to yell something at me, but I cut him off. 

"Reaping. Mentor. You. Me. Peeta. Come now." He scowls at how I treat him, but still stumbles along. He seems to be fine, but I stay close enough so that if he decides to suddenly take a nap, I can catch him in the act. Literally, _catch _him. I might need Peeta's help with that one no matter what.

It takes us about ten minutes to finally make it to the square. Everyone has already assembled. I almost find a spot in the crowd out of habit when I remember that I have a seat waiting for me on stage. I follow Haymitch and Peeta the podium and wave to my mother and Prim in the crowd.

I feel a soft squeeze around my hand and find that Effie Trinket's beaming in my direction. "Exciting, isn't it? Your first games has a mentor." Yes, that's definitely exciting. Helplessly trying to keep pathetic tributes from my district alive, and inevitably watching them die. Terrific.

As Mayor Undersee finishes his boring lecture on the history of the games, Effie stands up excitedly and gallops down to the reaping ball. "Ladies first!" she says with a grin in her usual manner and spins the ball around and around. She digs her hand into the ball and pulls out a name. _Darby Harriman. _A girl who seems to be about my age walks up, all the blood flushed from her pale face. I recognize her from the Hob, and her dark hair and eyes signal she must be from the Seam.

Effie beams at the pale girl. "Oh, how exciting! Aren't you pretty?" Then she walks over to the boy's ball and digs around. She twists her hand all around until she grabs onto one name and pulls it out. My heart nearly stops as her thrilled voice reads the name.

A single tear rolls down my cheek and curls down my neck as my lips form his name in a tormented cry. Gale.


	2. Whatever It Takes

_Katniss. _

I hear my name, but don't turn around. I'm sitting on a soft sofa. There's a large television set in front of me. There's a forest on the screen. It's quiet; I almost feel like it's a still picture. But I know that it's a live video by a sudden rustling in the leaves. A white hare hops across the screen. The leaves rustle again and another figure emerges from the shadows.

It's Gale.

"_Gale,_" I breathe, sitting upright.

"Katniss!" It's not him returning my call, and my heart fills with disappointment. Hazelle wraps her arms around me. "Oh thank the heavens!"

I delicately touch my hand to my forehead. "What happened? Where's Gale?" I ask, closing my eyes and trying to remember. Suddenly, it all comes back to me.

"Gale!" I call frantically.

"He's fine." A breathe a sigh of relief, but in my head confusion is flooding in. How can he be fine? Riding to the capitol doesn't necessarily count as 'fine'. I turn my head and see Peeta, leaning against the wall.

I shift my legs and slide off the countertop, in my kitchen in the Victor's Village I realize, only to find myself incredibly dizzy. Peeta wraps his arms around my waist and holds me upright.

"You're hurt," he says, placing one hand on my hip and the other resting on the small of my back. I roll my eyes.

"I can see that. Where's Gale?" I demand. He sighs and looks up to Hazelle. She comes and helps him lay me back on the bed. Well, try to. I feel weak, but I'm able to resist.

"No, I can't rest now. Tell me where Gale is," I persist. Hazelle turns my head to look at her and strokes my hair. She sighs and I notice that her eyes are wet with tears.

"He's in the Justice Building. Saying goodbye." Saying goodbye? To who? His brothers? Hazelle was here, I was here. Was my mother and Prim saying goodbye? Peeta reads the confusion on my face.

"Katniss, Gale's not going into the Games. Rory is." Hazelle bursts into tears and begins to sob. Peeta attends to her and I hold onto the counter for support. He sits her down in a chair and strokes her back. The confusion about Gale flushes away as a new uncertainty settles in.

"Wait... what?" Peeta turns back to me and sighs.

"Rory volunteered for Gale," he explains. My eyes widen. _Rory? _Volunteer for _Gale? _I volunteered for Prim, Prim didn't volunteer for _me._

I shake my head and try to wrap my head around all this. "So... what you're saying is... Gale's in the Justice Building," Peeta nods his head, "saying goodbye to Rory," another nod, "because he volunteered for Gale? And Gale didn't fight back? He didn't volunteer for Rory after he volunteered for him? What?" Peeta shook his head this time. "Ugh, I'm so lost." Nod.

The door to the kitchen swings open and Haymitch walked in. "Hey, sweetheart. Managed to explain it to her yet?" Peeta sighs and shakes his head.

"Nope. And Hazelle's broken down," he reports. Haymitch sighs heavily.

"I'll tell them to put the train on hold," he breathes, and leaves the room. I turn to Peeta and glare.

"What?"

I roll my eyes. "You talk about me as if I'm a child! I try to understand but... I just woke up and it's a lot to process. And besides, I think I got it. Gale got reaped. Rory volunteered for Gale. Gale's in the Justice Building saying goodbye to Rory." I look at him hopefully.

"Wrong." This time the voice wasn't Peeta's. I turned around and lunged for Gale.

"Gale!" I cry. "I was so worried! I'm so sorry about Rory, I really am, it's just-" My words are stopped by Gale's strong arms shoving me away. I look at him confused and hurt.

"Make sure he stays alive. Whatever it takes," he says coldly. Then he walks out and slams the door behind him. I move to go after him, but Peeta grabs my arm. I turn to look at him and he shakes his head. He sees the tears welling up in my eyes and pulls me into his embrace.

"He's not worth it," he mutters in my ear. The tears spill and we stand there. Eventually, Hazelle stands up and joins in, both of us sobbing with Peeta's strong arms wrapped around us.

The train station was bustling with reporters. A couple of them ask me how Gale was handling this, another asks Peeta how he would handle working with his arch enemy's younger brother, and he dismisses it with saying that he's not the jealous type and that he would gladly try to keep the boy alive as best he can.

When we finally make it to the train, we find Rory sitting at the dining table that was all too familiar. I sit next to him and give him a hug. "It's going to be okay," I say encouragingly. "You're going to be okay." I can feel his hot tears wetting my shirt, but I don't care. Gale was like my brother, which makes Rory family just as much as any Hawthorne is.

After dinner, I go immediately to my room and put on a thin nightgown. As I pull the covers up to my chin, I tell myself one thing.

_Whatever it takes, Katniss. Whatever it takes. _


End file.
